Look at the photos of the incredible northern lights seen in Spain this evening: will there be more?

Scientists have warned about this, and the time has finally come. northern lights They returned to Spain during night from 10 to 11 October. From north to south the sky became colored mostly redbut also green in some parts of the north of the peninsula.

The reason, as always, was big solar storm. Truly exceptional. We are currently close to peak solar cycle in progress. It means it’s time great activity for a royal star. However, many experts are already calling yesterday’s auroras the most intense event of this type recorded in Spain.

Throughout history, several northern lights have been recorded in Spain. One of the most impressive occurred during the Civil War. This attracted attention because many thought it was the effect of a bomb explosion. But it was nothing more than an eerie coincidence. In the same year of 2024, we were also able to enjoy the wonderful phenomenon of the Northern Lights. This was in May last year, and, as now, they were observed almost throughout the country. However, this time the sight of the sky was even more amazing.

Origin of the Northern Lights

The activity of the Sun is very variable. Continue 11 year cycles while it gradually increases until it reaches a large peak. Then it starts to decline again. But the activity is not uniform over the entire surface.

There are some areas known as sunspots where activity is much higher than around them. It is in these sunspots that storms occur, characterized by release of large amounts of radiation and, as a rule, coronal mass ejection. The latter consists of a sudden release of charged plasma particles, which, depending on the orientation of the spot, can be thrown towards our planet.

When this happens they can be stopped by our magnetic field and not reach the atmosphere. But if they manage to cross it, being charged particles, they excite the gas molecules, causing them to release energy. in the form of light. This is what is known as the northern lights when they occur in the northern hemisphere, or the northern lights when they occur in the south.

They usually occur near the poles for a simple reason. The magnetic field is not equally extensive throughout the Earth. Its greatest intensity is observed above the equator and weakens as it approaches it. poles. If charged particles hit the center, they move until they reach the point of passage, which is at the poles. But if there are a lot of them and they are very intense, they can go straight into the atmosphere.

Why these colors?

The Northern Lights usually color the sky greenish, reddish and purple tones. This depends on the gases whose molecules are excited and the height at which they are located.

Oxygen molecules are usually released red and green photonswhile nitrogen tends purple blue. As for altitude, something very curious happens to oxygen. And red photons are released in almost two minutes. If during this time an excited atom collides with another, the process will stop and the photon will not come out. On the other hand, in higher layers of the atmosphere there is less oxygen concentration, so it is more likely that photons will be released without collisions.

Something completely different happens with green photons, as they are released in less than a second. It doesn’t matter if many atoms are together because light is emitted before they collide. For this reason, the color green is predominant in the lower atmosphere, while the color green is predominant in the lower atmosphere. altitude more than 240 kilometers It mixes with red.

On the other hand, in lower layers It also appears more purple because it has a much higher concentration of nitrogen.

Today’s northern lights in Spain are clearly dominated by red. However, in some places, such as Valencia, the greenery could be very clearly distinguished in the lowlands. Purple color has also appeared in some places.

Will this phenomenon happen again tonight?

Unfortunately, the northern and southern lights are not easy to predict. However, since the effects of the geomagnetic storm have not yet fully resolved, there is a high chance that the northern lights will form much further south than usual. Let us remind you that during the May event we could see this light show two evenings in a row. We won’t lose anything by showing up if we were caught off guard last night.

One thing is clear: since it is difficult to know in advance, we must become more aware of the sky. When you least expect it, it gives you an idea.